The Common Ills

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

World Bulletin notes that Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Albadi has issued a statement which includes, "Our security forces have reached the center of Tikrit and they have
liberated the southern and western sides and they are moving towards the
control of the whole city."

And others echo the statement.

Few point out that the assault on Tikrit continues.

That taking the city was supposed to take a few days but is now a month long adventure that has still not achieved its military goals.

What is being accomplished in Tikrit?

Better question: what's being accomplished because of Tikrit?

One thing that's being accomplished is that the press has put all eyes there and has repeatedly ignored what's taking place in Anbar Province.

It's past time that every report on Nouri make clear he's refused to surrender the prime minister residence to Haider al-Abadi.

Morris and Sly flirt with that reality, "Inside the walls of his shaded villa in the heart of Baghdad's fortified
Green Zone, Nouri al-Maliki still greets his visitors in the same
marble floored office where he worked for eight years as prime minister."

If you don't know that he's refused to vacate the residence, the opening statement means nothing (and they don't pick it up later on).

Nouri wants back in power and thinks he'll seize it in the next election.

He also slams the deal between Baghdad and Erbil (over oil) as unconstitutional.

Nouri's sudden concern for the Iraqi Constitution is touching.

Almost as touching as his insisting that he was illegally robbed of the post of prime minister because he got the most votes.

But when Iraqiya beat Nouri's State of Law in 2010, the most votes didn't matter to thug Nouri.

The following community sites -- plus Antiwar.com and Jody Watley -- updated:

Monday, March 30, 2015

Monday, March 30, 2015. Chaos and violence continue, the Secretary of Defense announces another deployment of US troops to Iraq, militias rejoin the fight for/on Tikrit, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon notes the allegations of human rights abuses (War Crimes) carried out by Iraqi forces, Iran claims two of their military advisors were killed by a US drone attack, and much more.

Earlier today, AP reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guard was insisting 2 of their members in Iraq were killed by US drone in or around Tikrit on March 23rd. Al Jazeera adds, "The US defence department has denied claims that it killed two Iranian
advisers in drone strikes in Iraq earlier this month, telling Al Jazeera
it had no role in the area during the time of their deaths." The outlet quotes an official with the Pentagon stating, "Coalition forces initiated airstrikes near Tikrit on March 25, two
days after the alleged incident occurred and no airstrikes were
conducted in or near Tikrit on March 23."

Spencer Ackerman (Guardian) notes, "The IRGC named the two men as Ali Yazdani and Hadi Jafari, and said they had been buried on Sunday." RT points out, "The adviser death controversy comes as Iran is engaged in tough
negotiations with six major world powers, including the US, over
its contested nuclear power program. The talks so far failed to
produce a deal, that would allow Tehran to pursue civilian use of
nuclear energy."

This was sort of a major story today to everyone but the stooges of the State Dept press corps who elected to ignore it during the press briefing.

Quick, when was the last time a US official -- past or present -- told Congress the truth about the Peshmerga?February.And the official was former US Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey who
noted that Baghdad wasn't overly fond of arming the Peshmerga.Jeffrey is part of Michael Crowley's examination (for POLITICO) of Barack's efforts in the region:

“We’re in a g**damn free fall here,” said James Jeffrey, who served
as Obama’s ambassador to Iraq and was a top national security aide in
the George W. Bush White House.For years, members of the Obama
team has grappled with the chaotic aftermath of the Arab Spring. But of
late they have been repeatedly caught off-guard, raising new questions
about America’s ability to manage the dangerous region.Obama
officials were surprised earlier this month, for instance, when the
Iraqi government joined with Iranian-backed militias to mount a sudden
offensive aimed at freeing the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State in
Iraq and the Levant. Nor did they foresee the swift rise of the
Iranian-backed rebels who toppled Yemen’s U.S.-friendly government and
disrupted a crucial U.S. counterterrorism mission against Al Qaeda
there.

Jake Tapper: We look at the bigger picture here with James Jeffrey, Ambassador to Iraq under President Obama and Deputy National Security Advisor under President George W. Bush, Mr. Ambassador, thank you so much for being here. In a recent POLITICO piece on the Middle East, you said "We're in a g**damn free fall here." What did you mean by that?James Jeffrey: What I meant was look at Afghanistan, Iran -- what we just heard, Iraq -- what you just showed, Syria, now Yemen, Tunisia. We have a variety of forces that are basically, fundamentally opposed to the international order that are on the march and we, the United States, traditionally have been the balancing force maintaining the order -- including through the threat of the use of military force, seem to be drawing back, not supporting our friends and allies -- our traditional friends and allies, putting all of our cards on this Iran deal while the region burns all around us and, as a result, you have the Saudis and others acting on their own. This isn't a good thing.Jake Tapper: There's also been criticism saying that the President -- We're allied with Iran whether we want to be fighting ISIS, trying to come up with a deal with Iran having to deal with the nuclear program, then, of course, we're nominally on the side of the Saudis who are fighting the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt Gen Michael Flynn, told Chris Wallace [Fox News Sunday] that the network of alliance that we're in is "almost a policy of willful ignorance . . . Here we are talking to Iran about a nuclear deal with this almost complete breakdown of order in the Middle East ." Do you find it confusing? Do you see a coherent Middle East policy here beyond just whack-a-mole?James Jeffrey: First of all, in fairness to the Obama administration, this is a very dangerous area and it has been so for a long time -- Jake Tapper: For centuries, long before President Obama took office, of course.James Jeffrey: For centuries. But it's become much dysfunctional in the last few years and that's something somewhat beyond the scope of American abilities. Nonetheless, our response to it can be somewhat contradictory on the ground tactically. Supporting the same goal as Iran to crush ISIS in Iraq? That's an understandable goal. Driving Iranian-backed Houthis back from when they came in Yemen is another goal that looks contradictory but if it fits into a larger policy, it makes some sense. That policy has to be predictable and consistent. That's what people in the region are not seeing. They don't know whether America will fight if necessary to support the nation-state system in the region. Jake Tapper: What should we be doing? What should the United States be doing that it's not?James Jeffrey: It's about five things and they aren't major. [1] President Obama tomorrow says I will keep troops on if needed beyond 2016 in Afghanistan. He starts letting our special forces and forward air controllers go out with Iraqi forces rather than --Jake Tapper: Fighting ISIL in Iraq and Syria.James Jeffrey: Exactly. Fighting ISIS in Syria. We start providing air support and other visible concrete support to the Saudis in the fight against the Housthis. We work with the Turks on either a buffer or a no fly zone or something to start changing the scales in Syria to try to get a negotiated result. And we make it clear, from Israel to Turkey to Riyadh, that whether we like what they say or do sometimes, they're our allies and we'll stand by them. Jake Tapper: We are seeing -- I don't want to be a Pollyanna looking for bright sides -- but we are seeing Sunni countries stepping up against the Housthis rebels after Jordan and other Arab allies stepped up to fight ISIS. How do you view these shows of force? Is it a good sign? Is it positive diplomacy by the Obama administration? Or is it out of necessity because the United States has been stepping back?James Jeffrey: It's a little bit of all. First of all, in and of itself, it's not a bad thing for local allies and friends to ban together. Two problems. First of all, I know their military capabilities. Even in their air, they're limited. And on the ground, they're very weak. Look at the Iraqi --Jake Tapper: Are you talking about the Saudis?James Jeffrey: The Saudis, all of them in the region. Regular armies are not good at fighting insurgencies. Look at what happened in Iraq last year. Secondly, if we're not there? We're a balancing force not just militarily but politically. We tend to limit the objectives and balance them with the military objectives. These people are liable to go off on their own and demand not just that the Housthis in Yemen negotiate with the other side but that they surrender, that Assad and all the Alawites who back him -- this Shi'ite like group in Syria basically be driven away. We have introduced -- be it in the Balkans or elsewhere -- a sense of moderation in these goals. These people won't be restricted without us.Jake Tapper: I know you've worked for both President Obama and President Bush and believe them both -- both of their administrations at least somewhat responsible. What do you think those such as former Vice President Dick Cheney who say This is a perfect example of why we should have been siding with the dictators as the Arab Spring erupted. James Jeffrey: Well it's interesting because I worked closely with him, I also worked very closely with many others in the Bush administration who thought exactly the opposite. we should do all we can do throw them overboard including, if necessary, Islamic forces. Nobody has the answer to this, it's a very, very complicated problem. But when you don't have an answer to things there are certain default things you do: Keep your powder dry, be sure you're respected -- and even feared, and support people who supported you Jake Tapper: And you still think we're in a "g**damn freefall" here?

James Jeffrey: Until I see otherwise We'll see.

It's an interesting argument to ponder and debate -- which is generally true of all the best segments of Jake Tapper's show.

(And, yes, Jeffrey does have a paternalistic view but if that's news to you what were you doing the last few years?)

Today, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter spoke to troops at Fort Drum. Among his statements? "And some of
you, and this is important, will be going to Iraq. And there to train,
advise and assist the Iraqi security forces so that they can be the
force that sustained the defeat of ISIL after ISIL is defeated, which it
will be. But in order to sustain that defeat, we need a force on the
ground and that's what you'll be helping to create."

Under Bully Boy Bush, the peace movement was disturbed by announced deployments.

Under Barack Obama?

It's a 'Eh, is American Idol on?"

You have to drop back, for example, to March 26th on CodeStink's Twitter feed to find a Tweet about Iraq,

Or, to put it another way, you have to wade through 36 Tweets right now before getting to Tweet 37 which notes Iraq.

They have no Tweet about the deployment.

They have no Tweet of any consequence.

Yet they claim to be against the Iraq War.

Meanwhile, the assault on Tikrit continues and Nabih Bulos (Los Angeles Times) reports, "Shiite Muslim militias on Monday rejoined Iraqi government forces in
their battle to gain control of the strategic central city of Tikrit,
after a four-day retreat to protest a U.S.-led coalition's intervention
in the campaign."

As we noted last Friday, either the Iranian government told the militias to pull out (only a third apparently did) or the US government did.

Someone apparently forgot to brief Carter on the latest development before he spoke.

They also apparently forgot to brief him on another detail. Jason Ditz (Antiwar.com) reports, "Leaders from multiple major Shi’ite militias in Iraq claim to have been given assurances
by Prime Minister Abadi that the United States is going to halt
airstrikes against the ISIS-held city of Tikrit, allowing them to sweep
in and conquer it."

While Baghdad officials have insisted that progress will be swift, Al Mada reports that local officials in Salhuddin Province declared yesterday that the progress would be slow. All Iraq News adds that Iraqi forces today "raised the Iraqi flag over Tikrit hospital." Press TV states that the Grand Mosque of Tikrit was also re-taken by Iraqi forces. Hamdi Alkhshali (CNN) reports, "The gains, according to the official, came
after a slow advance into the city as the forces dealt with more than
300 improvised explosive devices planted in the city's streets. At least 26 militants were killed in the operation, the official said."

The military campaign is thus exacerbating the sense of
powerlessness, disenfranchisement and humiliation among Sunni Arabs that
gave rise to Islamic State.The growing tendency in Baghdad and the south to equate Shi’ite
militias with the national army, to declare oneself a patriot while
expressing gratitude to Iran for its intervention, and to subsume
national symbols under Shi’ite ones — with black, yellow and green flags
referring to Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Taleb, Shiism’s third Imam,
increasingly crowding out the Iraqi flag — is reshaping Iraqis’ national
identity in ways that will vastly complicate well-intentioned efforts
to advance inclusive politics and governance.

The overwhelmingly Shiite ground forces battling ISIS in Sunni Tikrit
have become increasingly powerful as the government army has
disintegrated. The militias have a brutal record of sectarian
bloodletting, including burning and bulldozing thousands of homes and
other buildings in dozens of Sunni villages after American airstrikes
drove ISIS out of the town of Amerli in northeastern Iraq last summer.
If that happened in Tikrit, the United States would be blamed for
helping to trigger yet another cycle of horrific sectarian violence.

Concerns are rightly building because there's no progress on political solutions in Iraq.

This despite Barack declaring last June that a political solution was the only solution for Iraq's various crises which threaten Iraq and threaten the region.

And these concerns take us into what was probably the biggest story out of Iraq today, we'll note this Tweet.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has missed a key opportunity to
address war crimes and rights abuses by all sides to the conflict in Iraq.
The council adopted a resolution on the Iraq conflict by consensus on
March 27, 2015, that denounces atrocities by the extremist group Islamic
State (also known as ISIS), but failed to condemn the abuses by
militias, volunteer fighters, and Iraqi forces.

“No one questions the Human Rights Council's attention to the widespread
atrocities by ISIS in Iraq, but ignoring abuses by Iraqi militias and
security forces is not only indefensible, it's dangerous,” said John
Fisher, Geneva director.

Iraq prepared the resolution, and the Arab group of countries put it
forward at the council on March 19. The UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights issued a report the same day that documents ISIS abuses. But the
High Commissioner also found that militias and Iraqi security forces had
“carried out extrajudicial killings, torture, abductions and forcibly
displaced a large number of people, often with impunity,” and that by
doing so they “may have committed war crimes.” The Human Rights Council
asked for the report in September 2014 during an emergency session.

Human Rights Watch reached similar conclusions following an
investigation of abuses in the wake of the ISIS retreat from the town of
Amerli in September. Militias looted property of Sunni civilians who
had fled the fighting, burned their homes and businesses, and destroyed
at least two entire villages, all in violation of the laws of war.

The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution last week
denouncing the atrocities by IS, but didn't directly address alleged
crimes and rights abuses committed by Iraqi forces and the militias
fighting with them. How important is that step?
Very. One of the biggest issues that we have in Iraq at the moment is
that, even if Iraq takes back Tikrit, and even if it takes back Mosul,
Iraq's democratization - and creating a secure country - is not going to
come from a military solution. It's very much going to come from a
socio-political solution, which is going to have to include trust
between the different parties. When you have Shia militias performing
these gruesome acts of violence and crimes against humanity, that hurts
the trust Sunni groups have in the Shia militias, which at the moment
are seen by [Sunni groups] as part of the government. This is where I
think we can take a lesson from the previous Sunni awakening which
actually managed to get rid of, at that time [between 2005 and 2007, the
eds.], al Qaeda in Iraq and bring the Sunnis back into the political
equation. Today we need much more of that, much more of a recognition
that both sides are at fault, and I think that's the key for
reconciliation.

Turning to violence, AP notes two car bombs in northern Baghdad left 11 people dead and twenty-six more injured. And KUNA notes that the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, John Boehner, arrived in Baghdad today as well.

She was an embarrassment and a whore for the Democratic Party in 2012.

She rushed to rescue Barack from Mitt Romney whenever she could.

She refused to run a real campaign.

And she made an idiot out of herself.

In all the years since, where has her strong criticism of Barack been?

Hmm?

The Green Shadow Cabinet?

A good idea that turned into a sad joke.

If Jill wants an alternative to Barack, she's going to have to call out what he's done and she lacks the spine and the common sense to do that -- as she's demonstrated time and time again.

If that's who the Green Party chooses, they're sending a message.

And let's put the Green Party on notice, we will rip apart your nominee if they don't run a real campaign. We won't be sweet and kind to whatever stupid fool thinks they can say they're running for president while providing cover to the Democratic Party.

Isaiah's latest The World Today Just Nuts "Uncle Joe's Looking Better and Better." John Kerry does his Frankenstein and chants, "More war. More war." Hillary Clinton holds a shotgun and insists, "Vote for me and nobody gets hurt." In front of both of them, a grinning Joe Biden says, "Bet Uncle Joe's looking better and better to you." Isaiah archives his comics at The World Today Just Nuts.

Boston, MA (March 27, 2015) – Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) will showcase its new data visualization tool The Wait We Carry 2.0
and share the experiences of Boston veterans using the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system and disability claims process
at a VetTogether on Monday, March 30, at District Hall. At the event, IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff and attendees will also learn about the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial, a project that honors fallen servicemembers who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.Who: IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff, and Boston-area veterans

Prior to the VetTogether, Rieckhoff will attend the opening gala and
dedication for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for The United States
Senate on Sunday and Monday. President Barack Obama is scheduled to
speak at the dedication.

Two weeks ago IAVA launched The Wait We Carry 2.0
at SXSW in Austin and TED Talks in Vancouver. Created with support from
the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the cutting-edge data
visualization tool offers users a candid understanding of the veteran
health care experience.

“IAVA is honored to be a part of the opening gala and dedication
ceremonies for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. For decades the Kennedy
family has been a strong supporter of the veteran community and we are
grateful to have advocates like Patrick Kennedy in our corner,” said
Rieckhoff. “Boston continues to be a national leader in promoting
solutions for its veterans, and we look forward to joining area veterans
in honoring those who will be recognized by the Massachusetts Iraq and
Afghanistan Fallen Heroes Memorial. We’re excited that Executive
Director Dan Magoon will be on-hand to share the vision and progress of
this important memorial project with our attendees.”

More than 340,000 veterans reside in Massachusetts, including more
than 32,000 who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Boston-area
veterans face a number of critical challenges: more than 200,000
veterans are stuck in the VA backlog, including more than 2,500 in the
Boston regional office, who are waiting more than 125 days for a claim.
The average wait time in Boston is 157.9 days.

Note to media: Email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699 to speak with IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA leadership.Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the
nation's first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization
representing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and has nearly 300,000
Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide. Celebrating its 10th
year anniversary, IAVA recently received the highest rating -
four-stars - from Charity Navigator, America's largest charity
evaluator.

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL: REMARKS TO THE PRESS

Shukran Jazilan, I want to thank Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for
his welcome and for his leadership. It is a great pleasure for me to be
back in Iraq once again.

We have just concluded a very productive meeting, which was preceded
by fruitful discussions with President Fuad Masum and Speaker Saleem
al-Jabouri.

Later today, I will speak by phone with President Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

I am here to underscore the United Nations’ continuing and full
support for advancing peace, development and human rights in Iraq.

I am also very pleased to be here so soon after the arrival of my new
Special Representative, Mr.Ján Kubiš. I am confident that the
government and people of Iraq will support Mr. Kubiš and work very
closely with him.

I recognize and appreciate the commitment of Iraqi leadership to
maintaining the momentum for national reconciliation and unity. I am
encouraged by the Government’s submission of key draft legislation to
Parliament since my last visit in August.

However, I remain extremely concerned about the security crisis in Iraq and its impact on civilians.

During my meetings today, we reviewed the progress of ongoing
military operations to liberate areas under the control of Daesh,
including most recently around Tikrit. I hope that additional areas,
and the rest of the region, will soon be freed from the ongoing threat
of Daesh.

People have suffered unconscionable levels of casualties as a result
of this new wave of violence, including sexual and gender-based
violence. Over 2.5 million people have been displaced. Minority
communities, women and children remain particularly affected.

Iraq’s cultural treasures have not been spared. I strongly condemn
the destruction of archaeological sites in Hatra, Nimrud and elsewhere –
and express my support for UNESCO efforts to safeguard cultural sites
at imminent risk. We must unite to protect humanity’s shared heritage.

Mr. Prime Minister, Ladies and gentlemen,

I know the Government of Iraq, as well as the Kurdistan Regional
Government have worked tirelessly to scale-up emergency relief efforts
for those affected by the violence.

But vast challenges remain and the threat of additional and secondary
displacement during ongoing military operations may overwhelm local and
international capacities.

Additional resources are urgently needed to save lives.

I call on the Government of Iraq and the international community to
enhance support to Iraq’s displaced and to help alleviate the suffering
of all the Iraqi people.

I urge the Government to do all it can to ensure the protection of civilians and their access to humanitarian assistance.

I am also concerned by allegations of summary killings, abductions
and destruction of property perpetrated by forces and militias fighting
alongside Iraqi armed forces.

Civilians freed from the brutality of Daesh should not have to then
fear their liberators. One form of violence cannot replace another.

I encourage the Government of Iraq to do all it can to ensure the
restoration of the rule of law and governance in areas liberated from
Daesh as well as to bring volunteer armed groups fighting in support of
the Government under Government control.

Alleged violations or abuses of human rights must be investigated and perpetrators need to be held to account.

I further call on the Government of Iraq, alongside its national
partners and the international community, to create the conditions for
stabilisation and reconstruction of Iraq.

We have also had the chance today to discuss the need for Baghdad and
Erbil to uphold their December agreement on oil and revenue-sharing and
ensure that the work of the joint committees continues.

This partnership is crucial to addressing Iraq’s security and
financial crises. It is essential that disagreements over pending issues
be resolved within the framework of the Constitution.

Finally, we discussed Iraq’s relations with Kuwait. From here, I
will go to Kuwait to take part in a pledging conference in support of
Syrian refugees and neighbouring host countries. I want to commend the
government and people of Iraq for providing sanctuary and support to so
many Syrians fleeing the fighting.

I also commend the governments of both Iraq and Kuwait for
continuously and proactively working to strengthen bilateral ties. I
will reinforce that message in Kuwait.

Progress on the missing Kuwaiti persons and national archives is
still required. I also commend the enhancement of relations between Iraq
and other countries in the region.

We will continue to do all we can to assist the people and Government
of Iraq to end this crisis so that they may focus their energy and
resources on building a more peaceful, stable, democratic and prosperous
future for all Iraqis.

Mr. Prime Minister, once again, I am honoured to be here to express
my full solidarity and support for the people and the government of
Iraq, and I highly command and appreciate your leadership in promoting
unity and solidarity and inclusive dialogue which goes to all the people
of the society and I express my strong hope that you will continue to
enjoy prosperity, development and stability of your country.

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.